The divine comedy — Page 1

English → Japanese HELL OR THE INFERNO CANTO I Level 9/10

In the midway of this our mortal life,

この我らの死すべき命の道のほど中で、

I found me in a gloomy wood, astray

私は薄暗い森の中で、道に迷っている自分を見出した、

Gone from the path direct: and e'en to tell

正しい道を外れて：それを語ることさえ、

It were no easy task, how savage wild

容易なことではなかった、いかに荒々しく野生であるか、

That forest, how robust and rough its growth,

その森が、いかに力強くざわめく茂みであるか、

Which to remember only, my dismay

それを思い出すだけで、私の恐れは、

Renews, in bitterness not far from death.

死に近い苦しみの中で、再びよみがえる。

Yet to discourse of what there good befell,

それでも、そこで出会った良きことを語るために、

All else will I relate discover'd there.

そこで発見したその他すべてを私は語ろう。

How first I enter'd it I scarce can say,

どのようにして初めてそこに入ったか、私にはほとんど言えない、

Such sleepy dullness in that instant weigh'd

その瞬間、眠りに似た重い鈍さが、

My senses down, when the true path I left,

真の道を離れた時、私の感覚を重く沈めたから、

But when a mountain's foot I reach'd, where clos'd

しかし山の麓に達した時、そこで閉じていた、

The valley, that had pierc'd my heart with dread,

恐怖で私の心を貫いていた谷が、

I look'd aloft, and saw his shoulders broad

私は上を仰ぎ見て、その広い肩を見た、

Already vested with that planet's beam,

すでにあの惑星の光に包まれていた、

Who leads all wanderers safe through every way.

あらゆる道を通ってすべての迷える者を安全に導く者の。

Then was a little respite to the fear,

その時、恐れにしばしの安らぎが訪れた、

That in my heart's recesses deep had lain,

心の奥深い隅にひそんでいた恐れに、

All of that night, so pitifully pass'd:

あの夜のすべてを、哀れにも過ごした後：

And as a man, with difficult short breath,

そして、苦しい息をしながら、

Forespent with toiling, 'scap'd from sea to shore,

労苦に疲れ果て、海から岸へと逃れた人が、

Turns to the perilous wide waste, and stands

危険な広大な海原を振り返って、立ちすくみ、

At gaze; e'en so my spirit, that yet fail'd

じっと見つめるように；そのように私の魂も、なおも力尽き、

Struggling with terror, turn'd to view the straits,

恐怖と格闘しながら、その難所を振り返った、

That none hath pass'd and liv'd. My weary frame

誰も通り抜けて生き延びたことのない難所を。私の疲れた体は、

After short pause recomforted, again

しばしの休息の後に力を取り戻し、再び、

I journey'd on over that lonely steep,

私はその孤独な険しい坂を越えて旅を続けた、

The hinder foot still firmer. Scarce the ascent

後ろの足をより確かに踏みしめながら。登り始めてほどなく、

Began, when, lo!

その時、おお！

Vocabulary

この: kono — This (adjective modifying a noun nearby)
我ら: warera — We, us (formal or literary first-person plural)
の: no — Possessive or nominalizing particle
死す: shisu — To die (classical or literary verb form)
べき: beki — Ought to, should, destined to (auxiliary)
命: inochi — Life, one's existence or lifespan
道: michi — Road, path, way or course
ほど: hodo — To the extent that, about, approximately
中: naka — Inside, middle, among, within
で: de — At, in, by means of (particle indicating location or means)
私: watashi — I, me (standard first-person pronoun)
は: wa — Topic-marking particle highlighting the subject
薄暗い: usugurai — Dim, dusky, faintly dark in atmosphere
森: mori — Forest, woods, grove of trees
に: ni — In, at, to (particle indicating location or direction)
迷っ: mayot(te) — Lost, went astray (conjunctive form of 迷う)
て: te — Conjunctive particle linking sequential actions
いる: iru — To be, to exist (for animate beings)
自分: jibun — Oneself, one's own self or person
を: o — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
見出し: midashi — Found, discovered (conjunctive of 見出す)
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker
正しい: tadashii — Correct, right, proper, accurate
外れ: hazure — Deviation, straying from the correct path
て: te — Conjunctive particle linking sequential actions
それ: sore — That, it (pronoun for something previously mentioned)
語る: kataru — To tell, narrate, speak about something
こと: koto — Thing, fact, matter (nominalizer for verbs)
さえ: sae — Even, as long as (emphatic particle)
容易: youi — Easy, simple, not difficult
な: na — Adjectival copula linking na-adjective to noun
で: de — Copula in conjunctive form (and, being)
なかっ: nakatt(a) — Was not (past negative conjunctive of ない)
いかに: ikani — How, in what way (literary intensifier)
荒々しく: araara shiku — Roughly, wildly, in a fierce manner
野生: yasei — Wild, untamed nature or wilderness
ある: aru — To exist, to be (for inanimate things)
か: ka — Question particle or expressive uncertainty marker
その: sono — That (adjective modifying a previously mentioned noun)
が: ga — Subject-marking particle indicating the grammatical subject
力強く: chikarazuyoku — Powerfully, strongly, with great force
ざわめく: zawameku — To rustle, murmur, stir with noise
茂み: shigemi — Thicket, dense undergrowth, bushy area
思い出す: omoidasu — To recall, remember something from the past
だけ: dake — Only, just, merely (limiting particle)
恐れ: osore — Fear, dread, apprehension about something
は: wa — Topic-marking particle highlighting the subject
死: shi — Death, dying, the end of life
近い: chikai — Near, close, not far away
苦しみ: kurushimi — Suffering, anguish, pain or torment
再び: futatabi — Again, once more, a second time
よみがえる: yomigaeru — To revive, be resurrected, come back to life
でも: demo — But, however, even so (conjunction)
そこ: soko — There, that place (mid-distance location)
出会っ: deatt(e) — Encountered, met (conjunctive of 出会う)
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker
良き: yoki — Good, fine (classical adjective form of 良い)
ため: tame — For the sake of, in order to
に: ni — Particle indicating purpose or direction
発見: hakken — Discovery, finding something previously unknown
し: shi — And, having done (conjunctive form of する)
その他: sonohoka — Other things, the rest, everything else
すべて: subete — All, everything, the whole of something
語ろう: katarō — Let us tell, let me narrate (volitional form)
どの: dono — Which (adjective asking which of several options)
よう: yō — Way, manner, how; appears like (auxiliary)
初めて: hajimete — For the first time, initially
入っ: hait(te) — Entered, went in (conjunctive of 入る)
ほとんど: hotondo — Almost, nearly, mostly, for the most part
言え: ie(nai) — Cannot say, unable to express (potential form)
ない: nai — Not, negative auxiliary (plain negative form)
瞬間: shunkan — Instant, moment, a split second in time
眠り: nemuri — Sleep, slumber, state of sleeping
似: ni(te) — Resembling, similar to (conjunctive of 似る)
重い: omoi — Heavy, weighty, burdensome in feel
鈍さ: nibusa — Dullness, sluggishness, heaviness of sensation
真: ma — True, genuine, real (prefix or noun)
離れ: hanare — Separated, apart, away from (conjunctive of 離れる)
時: toki — Time, moment, when something occurs
感覚: kankaku — Sensation, sense, feeling, perception
重く: omoku — Heavily, weightily (adverbial form of 重い)
沈め: shizume — Sinks, submerges (conjunctive of 沈める)
から: kara — From, because of (particle of origin or reason)
しかし: shikashi — However, but, nevertheless (conjunction)
山: yama — Mountain, hill, large elevated landform
麓: fumoto — Foot of a mountain, base of a hill
達し: tashi — Reached, arrived at (conjunctive of 達する)
閉じ: toji — Closed, shut (conjunctive of 閉じる)
い: i — Being, existing (conjunctive of いる, informal)
恐怖: kyōfu — Terror, intense fear, horror
心: kokoro — Heart, mind, inner spirit or feelings
貫い: tsuranui — Pierced through, penetrated (conjunctive of 貫く)
谷: tani — Valley, ravine, gorge between mountains
上: ue — Above, top, upper part or surface
仰ぎ見: aogimi — Looked up at (conjunctive of 仰ぎ見る)
て: te — Conjunctive particle linking sequential actions
広い: hiroi — Wide, broad, spacious, expansive
肩: kata — Shoulder, upper side of something
見: mi — Saw, looked at (conjunctive of 見る)
すでに: sudeni — Already, by now, at this point
あの: ano — That (over there), referring to distant thing
惑星: wakusei — Planet, celestial body orbiting a star
光: hikari — Light, radiance, beam of illumination
包ま: tsutsum(are) — Wrapped, enveloped (passive conjunctive of 包む)
れ: re — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix
あらゆる: arayuru — Every, all kinds of, without exception
通っ: tōt(te) — Passed through, traveled along (conjunctive of 通る)
迷える: mayoeru — Lost, wandering, straying (classical attributive form)
者: mono — Person, one who does something
安全: anzen — Safety, security, free from danger
導く: michibiku — To guide, lead, show the way
の: no — Nominalizing particle or possessive marker
しばし: shibashi — For a while, briefly, a short moment
安らぎ: yasuragi — Peace, calm, comfort, tranquility
が: ga — Subject-marking particle indicating the grammatical subject
訪れ: otozure — Visited, arrived (conjunctive of 訪れる); a visit
奥深い: okufukai — Deep, profound, remote, far inside
隅: sumi — Corner, nook, hidden recess of a space
ひそん: hison(de) — Lurked, hid (conjunctive of ひそむ)
夜: yoru — Night, nighttime, after dark
を: o — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
哀れ: aware — Pity, pathos, sorrow, deep sadness
も: mo — Also, too, even (inclusive particle)
過ごし: sugoshi — Spent time, passed through (conjunctive of 過ごす)
後: nochi / ato — After, later, subsequent time
そし: soshi(te) — And then, thereupon (conjunction, literary)
苦しい: kurushii — Painful, agonizing, difficult to bear
息: iki — Breath, breathing, respiration
ながら: nagara — While doing, even though (conjunctive particle)
労苦: rōku — Toil, hardship, laborious effort and suffering
疲れ果て: tsukarehate — Utterly exhausted, completely worn out
海: umi — Sea, ocean, large body of water
から: kara — From (particle indicating starting point)
岸: kishi — Shore, bank, coast, water's edge
へ: e — Toward, to (directional particle)
と: to — And, with, quotation particle (conjunctive)
逃れ: nogare — Escaped, fled from (conjunctive of 逃れる)
人: hito — Person, human being, someone
危険: kiken — Danger, risk, hazardous situation
広大: kōdai — Vast, immense, expansive in scale
海原: unabara — Vast open sea, wide expanse of ocean
振り返っ: furikaett(e) — Looked back, turned around (conjunctive of 振り返る)
立ちすくみ: tachisukumi — Stood frozen, rooted to the spot in fear
じっと: jitto — Motionlessly, fixedly, without moving
見つめる: mitsumeru — To stare at, gaze fixedly at something
に: ni — At, toward (particle indicating location or object)
魂: tamashii — Soul, spirit, inner essence of a person
も: mo — Also, even, too (inclusive particle)
なお: nao — Still, yet, even more (literary adverb)
力尽き: chikara tsuki — Strength exhausted, run out of energy completely
格闘: kakutō — Struggle, grapple, fight hard against something
難所: nanjo — Difficult passage, treacherous spot or obstacle
誰: dare — Who, whoever (interrogative pronoun for persons)
通り抜け: tōrinuke — Passed through, got through to the other side
生き延び: ikinobe — Survived, managed to stay alive
ない: nai — Not, none (plain negative auxiliary)
を: o — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
疲れ: tsukare — Fatigue, tiredness, weariness
体: karada — Body, physical form of a person
休息: kyūsoku — Rest, repose, taking a break to recover
後: ato — After, following, subsequent to something
力: chikara — Strength, power, energy, force
取り戻し: torimodoshi — Regained, recovered (conjunctive of 取り戻す)
再び: futatabi — Again, once more, a second time
孤独: kodoku — Loneliness, solitude, isolation from others
険しい: kewashii — Steep, rugged, precipitous, difficult terrain
坂: saka — Slope, hill, incline on a road
越え: koe — Crossed over, surmounted (conjunctive of 越える)
旅: tabi — Journey, travel, a trip or voyage
続け: tsuzuke — Continued, kept going (conjunctive of 続ける)
後ろ: ushiro — Behind, back, the rear direction
足: ashi — Foot, leg, step in walking
より: yori — More than, from, compared to (particle)
確か: tashika — Certain, sure, firm, reliable
踏みしめ: fumishime — Trod firmly, planted feet solidly (conjunctive)
ながら: nagara — While, even as, doing simultaneously
登り: nobori — Climbing, ascending upward (conjunctive of 登る)
始め: hajime — Began, started (conjunctive of 始める)
ほどなく: hodonaku — Before long, shortly after, soon afterward

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